A large amount of component to be used as a raw material of a nutritive substance is contained in the eyeballs and in particular in the fat tissue surrounding the eyeballs of a bonito or a tuna. Therefore, a large amount of the component can be efficiently obtained when the eyeballs and their surrounding parts, which will be referred to as an “eyeball section” hereinafter, of the fish are taken from the head part. For that purpose, it is necessary to punch out and collect only the eyeball section from the head of the fish like the bonito. A device for punching out the eyeballs of a fish has been invented like the punching-out device as described in the Japanese patent document JP 6-15483, for example, though the purpose of the punching out is different from that of this invention in the sense that the purpose of the prior art is not to obtain the component like the nutritive substance as mentioned above, but to enable a comparatively small fish like a small horse mackerel to be eaten as a whole including bones when the fish is deep fried by removing the eyeballs which cannot be made tender even by deep frying.
The device for punching out the eyeballs of the fish described in the Japanese patent document JP 6-15483 is to punch out the eyeballs of only a comparatively small fish like the small horse mackerel. The device comprises a receiving table for placing a head part of the fish. The receiving table has a through hole pierced vertically at a position for placing the eyeballs. A guide is provided on a side plate erected on the receiving table. A circular-cylindrical projecting punch having a cutting blade formed at a lower end thereof is supported by the guide in a vertically movable manner on a center line same as that of the through hole. By rotating a lever, which is supported by the side plate in a rotatable manner, downward against spring force, the projecting punch is moved down to punch out the eyeballs of the fish placed on the receiving table in the lying state with the cutting blade mounted on the lower end of the projecting punch.